


“Hey, Nurse, Are You Still Open?”

by WritingCoffeeAddiction



Series: Drabbles & One-shots [10]
Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Drug Addiction, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Lorna takes care of Nicky, Nurse Lorna, Post-Canon, Post-Litchfield, Suicide Attempt, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, drug overdose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-21
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-01 05:24:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12149538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingCoffeeAddiction/pseuds/WritingCoffeeAddiction
Summary: After her release from prison, Lorna follows her newfound passion to become a certified nurse. But one day, a certain patient brings her back to the past. Her heart drops at the sight of who it is. She bites the inside of her mouth to keep her emotions from showing. Lorna/Nicky.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters All I own is the writing.  
>  Warning: I guess I should warn that there is implied suicide attempt mentioned in this.

_"Hey, Nurse, Are You Still Open?"_

Another day, another patient. Lorna smiles as she gets herself ready for another long day of work. Ever since her release from prison—nearing five years ago—she had a calling to become a nurse. She didn't think any hospitals would hire her, though, with a felony on her record but when one finally did, her whole life changed. The decent pay provides a good life for she and her son, and taking care of patients keeps her mentality in check.

* * *

After dropping her son off at school, the brunette mother drives the fifteen minutes it takes to get to her place of employment. She parks her car in the garage before making her way into the hospital and finding what floor she'll be working on for the day.

"Morello,  _good_ , you're here," the chief nurse acknowledges her, staring over the work assignments briefly. "Off to the ER with you—they just got some woman in here – sounds like she overdosed on some pretty strong drugs. Better hurry down there; they're gonna need all the help they can get with this one."

* * *

Lorna quickly does what's asked of her, frisking her way down to the emergency department. A few of her coworkers see her and motion for her to come over to the exam room. She follows suit. Before she's even half-way in the room, her heart drops at the sight of who the patient is. Her eyes dart over to the other personnel, "Is this the overdose patient?" She bites the inside of her mouth to keep her emotions from showing.

"Sure is. We just spent fifteen minutes pumping her stomach. You need to stay here for the next twenty-four hours and monitor her—keep constant checks on her vitals and refill her IV bag when it empties. Make sure absolutely no medicine is given to her unless permitted by myself beforehand. Is this all understood, Morello?"

Twenty-four hours? What about her son? She can't just work a shift like this without given the proper notice. She inwardly gulps, not sure if she should open her mouth to say anything on the matter. "Twenty, twenty-four  _hours?_  My son – I gotta get him from school this afternoon. I can't leave him by himself," Lorna timidly informs the ER doctor.

The woman gives her a harsh stare and shrugs her shoulders. "You signed up for all kinds of crazy long shifts like this when you accepted the job here, Miss Morello. That is a problem you're gonna have to figure out because there is absolutely no way you're leaving this room until exactly this time  _tomorrow_. So, you better pray to God that you find someone who can watch him."

Lorna lets out a sigh once she's left alone with her patient. She walks over towards the bed to get a closer look at who she'll be stuck with for the next day and feels her heart burst when she sees that familiar bush of matted curls. "Oh, Nicky, what-what have you done to yourself?" Her voice hushed as she looks at the woman's face—the paleness and visible pain that seems to have been self-inflicted brings an overwhelming amount of heartbreak over the brunette.

It makes her wonder what the woman's been spending her time doing all these years. How could she go back to using drugs after spending so much time in prison for that exact reason? But then it dawns on her—she is the reason Nicky's overdosed. She chose to go back to her beloved husband rather than with her true soulmate—the person who, obviously, needed her most.

* * *

An hour's passed; Lorna waits and waits—and waits some more for the patient to finally wake up.

" _Holy shit_ ," a familiar raspy voice calls out. "Lorna fucking Morello—is that really you? You're  _actually a nurse_?" Big brown eyes stare up in shock at the brunette.

Lorna immediately stands up from her chair and walks to her bedside. She touches her comfortingly on the head, making sure Nicky knows this is – indeed – real. "That's  _nurse_  Lorna fucking Morello to you," she makes a slight joke and that gains her a small—strained—laugh in return. Quickly, though, her face becomes serious as her eyes gaze worriedly down at the other's.

"What-what's been going on? Why would you do this to yourself, hon? You coulda ended up worse than lying in a hospital, Nicky!"

The redhead groggily looks up at her nurse—inwardly laughing at the phrase; it's hard to believe that Lorna went through with becoming a true certified nurse. "The love of my life left me the minute she got outta prison. My mother—or the woman who's acted like a real mother to me—died from a heart attack a month ago and heroin just subtly found its way back to me. You do the math, babe."

"What—Red  _died_?" Lorna's hand instinctively covers her mouth at hearing such shocking news. Her heart soars for the older woman's unimaginable amount of grief. She hates herself for not keeping in contact with Nicky and the rest of their prison family. She hates herself for leaving Nicky and making her feel this terrible.

"Yeah, unfortunately, she did. And you woulda known if ya hadn't a just fucking walked away from us all. I mean, Jesus, kid—it's like we meant nothin' to ya."

Lorna nearly flinches at the roughness emanating in the other's voice. But she knows that's how her actions came across; she understands the pain Nicky's feeling—the pain she caused her and that's why she will not leave the redhead again. "I'm so sorry, honey…I'm so sorry you've lost Red—she was a beautiful person just like you are. And I—I am unbelievably sorry for leaving you and hurting you!" Her hands brush delicately through the mess of Nicky's hair.

The older woman close her eyes. She lets out a tired sigh. "I loved you Lorna more than anything in the world—it cut me deep when you fucking went crawling back to nasty ass Vince. Even now when I should hate you for all the damn pain you've put me through, I don't. I still love you—I still  _crave_ you and  _need_  you. I'm fucking addicted to you and that's scarier than being addicted to heroin. I prayed so strongly that this overdose would kill me; I really fucking did…because it's hell trying to live in this world without ma and it's even harder without you, kid."

Nicky's words hit Lorna hard. Tears pour down her eyes making it extremely difficult to take down the important vitals that she needs to. "I can't apologize enough; I feel horrible for doing that you…You're so sweet and loving—all I did was break you. I don't how to make any of it up to you, I really don't…I don't think I can. I've hurt you too much and I'm so sorry, sweetheart," she whispers softly, peering gently down into her big brown orbs.

"If it helps, though, Vinny died two years after we lived together—he got in a real bad car accident and didn't make it."

Hearing that only makes Nicky more disheveled. "So, what've you been doin' all this time then? That was three  _years_  ago, Lorna."

Lorna looks down at the marble-floor and lets out a small sigh. "I've been raising my son and working, Nicky. This is my life right here," she makes a big circle around the room with her arms for emphasis, "Taking care of patients is what keeps me going."

" _Son?_  Ya had a boy? And you've been raising him all by yourself for three years?" Nicky's voice softens, she reaches for one of the younger woman's hands and squeezes it in her own.

A small smile spreads across her cheeks. Talking about her little boy always makes Lorna happy. He's the light of her life—the one thing that's kept her going all these years. "Yeah, his name's Nico—but I-I call him Nicky. He's a real delight. My sister helps out when I gotta work longer shifts and stuff, so ya know—it's not that bad. She'll probably be keeping him for the night since I'll be monitoring your health for the next whole day."

"You call him Nicky? How come?"

Lorna looks away momentarily. "I-I wanted to name him after you somehow. But I needed it to be subtle so Vinny wouldn't notice."

Crossing her arms, Nicky arches an eyebrow piqued with interest. "Why'd ya wanna name him after me, kid?" This woman really couldn't be hated, the redhead internalizes. Her nature is so innocent—so pure.

"I needed something to hold onto—something that would always remind me of you. No matter how much I refused to admit it; I knew, deep down, that you are the one I'm supposed to be with. And I wanted to be with you but I also knew my father would shun me way if I chose to leave Vinny for a woman. He'd disown me for making an innocent child live with two mothers instead of a father. I hate myself for not listening to my heart. Because now I'm sure it's too late. I've hurt you too much. You deserve so much better, sweetie. You deserve a person who will choose you first."

Nicky grunts out a frustrated breath. She grabs Lorna by the shoulders and yanks her into the bed with her. "Fuck it—life's too short for me to give you up. I don't give a fuck how many times ya hurt me.  _I need you_  and if you're willing to be with me, I'll take you before anyone else has the chance. You're mine. No one else is getting you. You're my damn soulmate."

The brunette wraps her arms gently around Nicky's waist, giving her a stern look. " _Hey_ , you need to be a bit more careful with yourself. You just had your damn stomach pumped. Be easy on yourself, sweetie. Or I'll—"

"You'll what? I wanna know,  _nurse_." Nicky smirks, pressing a small kiss to the other's cheek.

"I'll just have to prescribe you extra love and care. And you have to let nurse Lorna take care of you. Or she'll get the doctor and you won't be happy," the brunette firmly assures her with a smile.

Nicky chuckles with the shake of her head. She lays back against the pillow and stares up at Lorna with a longing look in her eyes. "You think nurse Lorna can hold me? I ain't feelin' too hot…"

Instantly, the brunette sits back on the bed with her and maneuvers Nicky into her arms. She places the other's head softly against her chest, letting her hands play comfortingly with her red hair. "Of course, she can do that. Anything to help you feel better, sweetheart. Just close your eyes and relax; nurse Lorna isn't going anywhere. You just rest on me, I'll hold ya all day and night. I love you so much, honey."


	2. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This is just a small continuation. This idea popped into my head the other night and it just had to be written, I guess. It's mainly fluff but I hope it's still somewhat enjoyable to read.
> 
> Side note: Just now noticed that apparently the first part of this chapter was missing and fixed that...have no clue how that happened.
> 
> Warning: Lightly mentioned/referenced past suicide attempt. Lots of fluff.

Epilogue (Kinda?)

Only a few days after her stay in the hospital, Nicky finds herself being moved into Lorna's small house right on the outskirts of the big city. She complies without much argument. There's not much to argue, anyway, because the only home she had before was the cold city street – maybe a stranded car, if she got lucky.

She settles in easier than either women expected.

The day wares on slowly. Nicky sits in the living room, watching the television while Lorna gets ready for another long shift, when she notices a young boy's presence beside her. She turns her eyes away from the screen to stare at him and realizes just how much he resembles his mother—the dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and porcelain-like skin.

The boy sits beside her, giving a hard look over her. He scrunches his face—the same way Lorna does when she's frustrated—and opens his mouth to say something, "Who are you? Why are you in me and mom's house?"

Nicky chuckles, amused at how he's so suddenly cut to the chase. "I'm your mom's friend, Nicky; she invited me to stay here. Who are you?" She questions right back, mirroring his expression.

"What the—why are ya asking who I am if you already know my mom?"

"I know your mom…that  _doesn't_ mean I know  _you_ ," the redhead replies with a smirk.

He shakes his head and grunts out a frustrated groan. "Yeah right—like my mom's never blabbed to you about her _perfect little boy_ …Please, she  _always_  talks about me to her work friends," the brunette child folds his arms over his chest, giving her a strong glare.

Lorna walks in—halting their conversation instantly—and smiles at her two-favorite people. "Nico, I hope you're not giving our guest a hard time. She's mommy's friend and she's gonna be in charge of ya while I'm at work. So, ya better be on your best behavior. She has permission to take your video games away," she informs sternly but wraps her arms lovingly around his small body.

Hearing that causes an irritated grunt to escape Nico's throat. He gives a nod, though, and gazes up into his mother's eyes. "How long will you be working, mom? I gotta soccer game tonight and you  _promised_ to be there, remember?"

"I'll be home long before your game, sweetie. I made sure to tell my boss about it," the Italian brushes a hand affectionately through his thick hair. She gives one last squeeze before releasing the embrace and peering firmly down into his eyes. "Promise me you'll be good for Nicky? She's had a rough few days and doesn't need to be chasing after my wild eight-year-old—ya hear me, buddy?" She gives a tender kiss to his cheek after seeing his head nod to her question.

Nico jumps off the couch and runs down the hallway to his room, leaving the two women to sit in silence.

The two sit silently beside each other for several minutes before either one says anything. Nicky looks over at Lorna and gives a slight smile to her. "He looks just like you, kid. Has your brown hair and eyes and makes the same gestures you do," she notes, letting her hand touch softly against the brunette's cheek.

"He's a mix of his father and me. But, yeah, I guess he kinda looks more like me. He definitely reminds me more of me than Vinny—he loves to play pretend a lot and make believe. Some of his teachers have told me that concerns them a bit…but he's just a little boy. He's a handful of little boy, but I couldn't imagine life without him," Lorna tells, tracing her finger along the pattern of the arm of the couch.

Nicky's eyes softly gaze into the petite woman's, trying to read her emotions—something that use to come easy to her but now is proving to be quite a chore. "He seems a little wild but I guess that's what ya get when ya got a son, yeah?"

Slightly nodding, Lorna sighs. "He's a good kid, regardless."

Just as quickly as the faint sadness came, it leaves. Instantly, the brunette perks up again and pulls Nicky in for a tight embrace. She brushes a hand through her hair. "I'll be back around three or so. If you need anything, call me. You're still healing—take care of yourself, sweetheart. I know Nico's a handful—and I don't usually like him to play video games that much—but if he's too much, just let him play. I'll sacrifice his physical activity for you for today," she presses a small kiss to the top of her head, hugging her gently.

* * *

Hours pass on. Nico and Nicky sit beside each other on the couch—mindlessly watching what's displayed on the television screen in front of them. "Are you the girl that was in the slammer with my mom? She called you 'Nicky' earlier…and that was the same person she told stories to me about when she was in jail," he asks, turning away from the TV to stare at the redhead.

His question instantly gains Nicky's attention. She quickly shuts of the television and turns to face the young child. "She told you about her time in prison? Aren't ya a little young to hear about that?" An eyebrow arches in curiosity.

"I'm  _eight_ —that's  _not_  little," he retorts, huffing an irritated groan. "I used to listen to her talk when she would lay asleep in her bedroom—she was always sad about someone. I was curious so I asked her to tell me about it."

Nicky's taken aback by his response—not sure what to think. She sighs, after a while, and decides to finally answer his question. "Yeah, I'm the Nicky she was in the 'slammer' with. Are ya sure we should be talkin' bout' this, kid? I don't know how happy your mom would be to know that we're talking about her," she points out, but gives a friendly smile.

Scrunching his nose, Nico shakes his head. "We don't have to tell mom about this," he informs, folding his arms over his chest.

"Good point," the redhead chuckles. Quickly, her expression turns serious. She peers heavily down into the little boy's brown eyes, desperately trying to read what he's thinking. "How come your mom was sad? Was that after your dad passed away? I'm so sorry you had to lose him, Nico."

The brunette child scrunches his nose in confusion, " _After my dad passed away_ —what are ya talkin' about? My dad's alive… He lives all the way across the country, though. My mom was sad because she missed you a whole lot. She missed you so much that dad got sick of hearing about it and took off on us. That made mom even more sad—she cried every night, after tucking me in, and I could hear it through the walls."

Nicky feels her heart sink. Lorna still goes through the same cycle, apparently—making a story up to cover up what she doesn't want to hear and believing in it. That makes the redhead sigh. "Are you sure, kid? Your ma kinda told me he got in a bad accident or somethin'?"

"Mom tells that to everyone…it's not true. She just doesn't like that he left us, I guess. I don't know. Mom has a lotta problems," he shrugs his shoulders.

"Like what? What problems does she have, kid?"

Nico stares down at the floor. He sighs. "She lies a lot…and she gets sad sometimes over nothing. My aunt tells her to take her medicine but I think sometimes mommy forgets."

Hearing all this come out of an eight-year-old is shocking to Nicky—but opens her eyes to just how sick in the head Lorna still is. No wonder she hasn't tried to come in contact with her or anyone else from their prison family; she's been to busy dealing with her mental illness and raising a child. "What happens when she doesn't take it?"

He kicks his shoe slowly against the ground. "Stuff."

"What kinda stuff? Does she get mad or sad or happy—what happens?" Nicky gently asks, placing a comforting hand against his shoulder. She gazes warmly into his eyes, making sure he knows he's safe with her. "It's okay, kid…you can tell me. I care about your mom; she's my friend."

Exhaling a deep breath, Nico uses his finger to brush a loose strand of hair from his eyes. "Mom never gets mad—well, not at me or anyone else. She just…I-I've seen her do some not so nice things to herself. There-there was this one time when I went to use the bathroom and-and I saw mommy trying to drown herself in the tub. I-I had to do CPR on her for a long time…it was so scary," tears start running down his porcelain cheeks. He instinctively puts his thumb in his mouth, trying to self-soothe himself.

Nicky's heart bursts with emotion. She wraps her arms gently around the distraught child, pulling him against her chest and dropping a soothing kiss atop his head. "Shh, shh, it's okay; it's okay, buddy. What a brave little boy you are…saving your mommy. I'm so sorry you had to walk in on such a thing—that sounds scary," her voice tenderly whispers into his ear.

* * *

It's nearly three-thirty when Lorna walks in the kitchen door. She immediately kicks her shoes off and places her briefcase on the table. She's about to head into the bathroom for a shower when she feels a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. Lifting her face to stare up at whoever it is that's holding her, she becomes concerned at the somber expression on Nicky's face. "What's wrong, hon? Are you okay?"

Nicky only pulls her closer, taking her down the hall to the bedroom for some privacy. She shuts the door and carries Lorna over to the bed, sitting down beside her. Her eyes gaze softly into the other's. "Lay down with me, baby. Come on," she tenderly commands, holding out her arms for her while patting her chest with one of her hands.

"Of course, sweetie…whatever makes ya feel better," Lorna gently responds, lying in the redhead's eagerly waiting arms. She quirks an eyebrow up at her, still somewhat concerned with her actions. "Are ya sure you're okay? And shouldn't I be the one holding you, honey? You're the one who just got outta the hospital the other day."

Stroking her lips warmly against the shorter woman's cheeks, Nicky slowly shakes her head. "I'm fine, kid," she assures her with another soothing kiss on the cheek. Her eyes soften even more, gazing heavily down at the brunette. "I haven't held you in _years_ , Lorna. I need this— _you_  need this, baby."

"I had a little chat with your son earlier. Sweet kid he is—just like his mom—he cares so much about you," Nicky gently starts off, lightly brushing her hand through Lorna's brown hair. "He told me you were sad a lot—not because of Vinny's death, which he told me never happened—but because you missed me… He said you missed me so much that Vinny decided to leave you for that and moved across the country. Lorna, baby, I need you to be honest with me. Please tell me the truth. Even if the truth hurts, you need to tell me—okay? I'm not gonna be mad at you, so don't even worry about that. Just talk to me; I love you. I'm here to help you just like you're helping me. We're kinda a team here, kid."

Lorna sighs, closing her eyes in shame of herself. "Can't fool my own son, I know. That little boy's smarter than I was at his age."

Caressing her cheeks, Nicky waits patiently for her to continue but when she doesn't she pulls her closer and cups a hand around her cheek, "Look at me, kid. Come on—I'm here to listen. I'm not here to make judgements; don't be scared to talk to me. I need you to talk to me about this."

"My son's right. Vinny's alive…I lied to you, obviously the only thing I'm good at these days. I'm so sorry, Nicky. I just—I don't handle rejection well…I couldn't deal with the fact that he left me and Nico! So I-I made up a lie to help me cope. What else is new?"

Nicky kisses her softly on the head. She sighs, peering sadly down at the woman she loves—the woman who should have been with her instead of that Vinny, who certainly wasn't her soul-mate. "I know, baby, I know it's hard for you to be rejected. I wish ya woulda known that Vinny wasn't right for you sooner—then ya wouldn'ta hadda go through such heartbreak. You coulda been with me and-and maybe—"

"Maybe you wouldn'ta almost killed yourself…You're right, hon. I hate myself for hurting you so much. I-I really do," the brunette tearfully tells her, nuzzling her head softly against Nicky's neck.

"No, no… _baby_ , you  _are not_  at fault for that," Nicky firmly assures her, wrapping her arms snugger around her waist. "Please don't think that. Do not blame yourself for my actions. I'm the one who ingested a nearly lethal amount of heroin—I'm the one who landed herself in the hospital. You did not do anything…except take care of me and shower me with love even after I abused the same drug that sent me to prison."

Lorna shakes her head. "I fucking hurt you by choosing stupid Vinny over you—I left you and made you feel like shit. Of course, it's my fault, hon. I'm a selfish whore. I deserved to be rejected by Vinny. I brought it on myself."

Stroking her hair delicately, the redhead stares sternly down at her. "Lorna, let's stop talking about my overdose and talk about what happened with you. We already know it's my fault for overdosing. I don't want to hear another word outta you putting the blame on yourself. It's not your fault! This is supposed to be about you; stop changing the subject."

"Nothing happened with me. What the hell? All I did was make up a lie about Vinny. What else is there to say?" Lorna's voice wary and irritated.

Nicky lets out a deep breath and tries to soften her demeanor. She cups Lorna's head in her hands, leaning their foreheads soothingly together. "That's not what I'm talking about, baby. Nico told me how bad your mental illness has gotten—that ya gotta take medicine now and if you don't, things happen. He told me an incident you had when you refused to take them. He walked in on you trying to drown yourself? What the—why would you do that, kid? Huh?"

The brunette feels a few tears leaking down her cheeks. She looks away, ashamed of herself. "That-that was just last year…Nico's such a sweet boy. I'm lucky to have him. I don't deserve him. What kind of mother tries to kill themselves with their son in the house? He deserves better," she sniffles.

"What made you fucking do that? Lorna, why would you ever feel the need to end your life? You don't deserve him, you don't deserve me, you don't deserve love?  _What do you deserve?_  Why the fuck do you feel so unworthy of everything? I don't get it. Help me understand, baby. Help me understand why you think this way. Is there something I can do to make you love yourself?"

A loud sob escapes Lorna. She timidly shrugs. "I-I don't know why I did that or why I do any of the stupid things I do, Nicky! I'm psychotic…a fucked-up psycho is what I am. My therapist says my mental illness makes me do things out of my control but that's bullshit—isn't it? There's no excuse for my behavior," she exhausts.

Nicky's surprised to hear that Lorna's seeming to get help for herself. She presses a tender kiss to her head, looking softly into her eyes. "I'm prouda you, baby, for getting yourself a therapist. No, that's not bullshit. That makes me kind of have some understanding of why you tried drowning yourself. I still hate that you'd do that to yourself you sweet girl. But it makes a little more sense to me. Can you tell me what mental illness you have?"

"I-I—it wasn't my decision to get a therapist…Franny made me. I didn't want one but she wouldn't take no for an answer—so don't give me the credit," the brunette honestly informs her, peering away from Nicky. She didn't ever think such information would be found out by her friend—especially not from her own son.

She lets out a breath while tracing her fingers slowly along the outline of Nicky's arm. "Not really sure what it is…the therapist says it's some kinda delusional illness—which, I guess, makes sense. I do have a delusional mind."

"Yeah, that  _does_  make sense—it explains why ya made up all the fiancé shit with Christopher and lied to me about Vinny dying in an accident."

Nicky shakes her head with a sigh. She tightens her hold on the petite Italian; her big brown eyes gazing softly down at her. "Guess we're both worse when we don't have each other, yeah kid? I mean I go back to doing drugs and your mental health declines—that just proves how much we need each other," her thoughts voiced aloud.

Nodding her head slowly, the brunette realizes just how true Nicky's statement is. Ever since she left prison—those eight years ago—her mental health has rapidly deteriorated. And, deep down, she had a slight sense that the quick decline stemmed from not having Nicky in her life anymore. "I guess ya could be right about that, hon. We always seemed to do somewhat okay when we were in prison together…as fucked up as that sounds," she says and the two share a small laugh.

"I  _am_  right, kid," Nicky playfully smirks, pressing a small kiss atop the other's head. "We're soulmates—we always have been, even though you didn't seem to think that. But it looks like ya've finally opened those naïve eyes of yours and see the light; the person you're supposed to be with is the lesbian druggie ya had mind-blowing sex with in prison for three years."

"Wish I woulda seen that sooner…coulda saved us both the trouble of suffering these past several years," Lorna sighs. She wraps her arms tight around Nicky's neck, staring gently up at her. "Ya sure ya wanna take me back? I mean after how much I hurt you—"

"Stop," the redhead commands, cupping her face in her hands and pressing a soft kiss onto her lips. Her eyes peer affectionately into Lorna's. She caresses her cheek with the palm of her hand. "There's no way I wouldn't take you back; I crave you…it doesn't matter how much ya hurt me—I know it's not something ya willingly chose to do, baby, and I can't hold it against you. Not when I love you as much as I love you. We obviously can't function well alone, kid, so that just confirms to me that I need to take you back. You need me in your life, Lorna, just as I do you."

Lorna pecks her own lips lovingly over the older woman's. She snuggles herself closer into the warm embrace and lets out a serene breath of air. "You're a beautiful person, Nicky. I promise I'll never hurt ya again—at least I'll try not to. You're so sweet; I'm real lucky you're my soulmate," her voice gently speaks against the redhead's ear.

Cradling Lorna's head in her hands, Nicky can't help but smile softly at her while brushing her knuckle affectionately along her cheeks. "Nah,  _you're_  the sweet one, doll," her voice softly tingles against the smaller woman's lips before she presses another kiss to them. She slowly takes Lorna's head and lays it carefully onto her chest. Her hands reach for the blanket and pulls it up to wrap around the both of them. "Let's just rest for a while—ya kinda look ya need a nap, anyway, baby. I'm sure you had a busy day at work; it takes a lotta guts to be a nurse, especially when ya have to handle patients like me." She brushes her lips warmly across her lover's forehead, holding her snug in her arms.

With her eyes already drooping shut, Lorna lets out a tiny laugh at hearing that. She nuzzles her head softly against Nicky, letting one arm wrap around her neck and the other around her stomach. "You were my favorite patient, hon," she assures her, sleep slowly overpowering her.

"I love you so much. Please wake me up before Nico's soccer game…needa be there for seven," her voice mumbles before she completely falls into a peaceful slumber.

Nicky drops a small kiss to her head while reaching one hand over to set an alarm on the clock that sits above Lorna's nightstand. Once she's finished, she lets her own eyes close shut and resumes stroking her hands through the brunette's wavy hair. "Sleep well; I love you, too, baby."


End file.
